Dredge.



. No. 70,356. Patented Oct. 28, |902. A. Z. BOUDREAUX & 0. F. ESCHET.

D R E D G E |App1ication filed July 1, 1902,)

(No Modl.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALPHONSE ZACHARY BOUDREAUX AND OLIVA FRANCIS ESCHET, OF DONNER, LOUISIANA.

DRDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 712,856, dated October 28, 1902.

Application liled July 1`, 1902. Serial No. 114,027. (No model.)

bucket or dipper door and to take up the slack of the rope that connects therewith during `thedierent adjustments of the dredger-boom Aand. the supporting-platform therefor.

Our invention consists in the novel correlation and combination of parts, all of which will be hereinafter fully described, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of so much of a dredging-machine as is necessary to illus` trate our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical lon-` gitudinal section thereof, the bucket or dipper being at its lower or digging position, its door closed, and the slack-controlling device arranged to keep the bucket-door rope taut. Fig. 3 is a front View ofthe same, the bottom with the bucket being elevated and the bucketdoor shown open and the slack controller shifted to an elevated position. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of the bucket-door and its latch del vlces.

In the usual method of manipulating the bucket-carrying booms of dredges it is usual for one operator to handle the rope that controls the latch devices of the bucket-door or hinged bottom, whereby to keep the rope taut and at proper times to operate said door-latch to let the door swing open to discharge the load within the bucket. This operation by our invention is effected automatically, and the use and expense of a separate operator for the purposes stated is avoided.

Our invention in its practical construction comprises the platform or skow 1, from which at opposite sides of its front edge rise a pair of standards 2 2, joined at the top bya crosstimber 3, and at a point about midway and arrangedin the same longitudinal plane is a pair of posts 4 and 5X, projected upwardly from the platform, as clearly shown in the drawings and for the purpose presently explained.

Centrally of the timber 3 is rotatably mounted a king-post 4, the lower end of which is mounted on the main platform 1 and has x edly connected thereto the turn-table 6. The upper end of the king-post 4 projects above the cross-piece 3 and has a guide-aperture 4 for the bucket-elevating rope or cable 5, as shown. l

The boom 7 consists of two beams 7a 7a, iixedly connected at their lower ends to the turn-table and held to straddle the king-post,

to which they are securely bolted, and the said boom extends diagonally upward and outward from the turn-table, and between `the extreme lower ends of the said boom is a short post S, mounted ou the turn-table,which has pulley-guides S Sa at its upper end, the

reason for which will presently appear. At a'point in advance of the king-post and between the beams 7 is suspended a snatchblock 9, over which passes a rope 10, the outer end of which is made fast to the latch 11 upon the hinged dooror bottom 11a of the scoop bucket or dipper 12, mounted upon the lower end of the dipper-beam 13, rin the usual manner, and which beam is supported between the boom-beams 7 7EL also in the usual Inanner for vertical and oscillating movement therebetween. The cord or `cable 10, that passes over the snatch-block, extends under a pulley mounted in the lower bifurcated end of a weighted lever 14, fulcrumed at 14CL upon a cross-pin 15, mounted in the beams 7a of the boom, and the said cable 10 passes over a guide-pulley 14L in the upper end of the said lever 14 and then back over guide-pulleys 16a 16a on the opposite ends of a guide-opening 16 in the king-post, from thence between the two pulleys 8a 8qu on the post 8, and made fast to the Xedly-held post 4X, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

By providing the weighted lever 14 and arranging it relatively to the boom 7 and the door-latch-controlling rope or cable 10, as shown, it is manifest that when the boom and its table G are turned to either side the rope or IOO fim.. Ms-...oww M i cable 10 will be turned taut, and in doing so the lever Will be swung up to a horizontal position in line with the boom, (see Fig. 3,) and consequently the pull strain on the rope 10 will be such as to release the latch on the bucket-door, it being, however, understoodV that in the practical operation of the dredge devices the rope 10, the lever 14, and the stationary or pull post 4 are relatively so arranged that the weighted lever 14 will control the rope slack and provide for regulating the pull strain on the rope 10, so that the said strain does not become sufficient to open the bucket-door latch until after the boom has been swung around and the bucket elevated to the desired dumping position. After dumping and when the boom and the dipper or bucket resume their digging position-the weighted lever 14 gradually returns to its pendent position, and thereby takes up the slack in the rope 10 and maintains it in a proper taut position and renders the operation of opening the door. entirely automatic, as the said door moves to its closed position by gravity.

15 designatesasupplementalbucket-guide and elevated rope or cable which passes over a guide-pulley 7X, mounted in the boom, through guide-apertures 15 in the king-post, over guide-pulleys adjacent said apertures, and thence to the post 5X, to which the two boom and bucket lift ropes or cables are made fast in any well-known manner.

18 18a designate the turn-table-controlling ropes, which are joined at the opposite sides of the table 6, pass over guide-sheaves 19 19a, (see Fig. 4,) and made fast to cleats 19 in the usual manner.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of our invention will be readily apparent. By the use thereof the services of one man, usually employed for looking after the bucket-latch-controlling rope, is dispensed with, and the operation of releasing the bucket bottom or door is rendered positive and economical, and the door-controlling rope or cable is held taut and out of the way from interfering with the proper operation of the dredge.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a dredge; the combination with the bucketboom, the bucket provided with a latch-closed drop-door; of a latch-operating rope or cable joined at its inner end to a fixed member, guides on the boom and boom-frame for the said rope or cable, the outer end of said rope or cable being connected to the bucket-latch, and a means for automatically taking up the slack of the latch-controlling rope or cable, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a dredge as described, the combination With the boom, its support, and means for swinging the said boom in a horizontal plane,the bucket,the supporting-beam for the bucket movable with the boom and swingable in a vertical plane, said bucket including a gravity-dropped bottom, and a latch for closing Jthe said bottom, a latch-operating cable, one end of which is connected to the bucketbottom latch, its other end being made fast to a rigid member on the boom-support, said support including a king-post and guides on the post, and the boom for the latch-rope, and a slack-adjuster for the said rope mounted upon the boom, as set forth.

3. The herein before-described improvement in dredges, consisting in combination; a support, a turn-table mounted thereon, a kingpost rotatable with the table, a boom made fast to the table and post, the centrally-disposed post xedly mounted upon the support, the post 8 movable wit-h the table-guides on the upper ends of said post, the bucketbeam pendently supported on the boom for vertical. and longitudinal movement, the bucket, said bucket including a gravity-opening bottom, and a latch for holding said bottom closed, and the slack-take-up latch 14 pivoted 0n the boom to drop by gravity, said latch having an upper and a lower guide, the snatch-block mounted on the boom in advance of the member 14, guides upon the king-post, the pull-cable 10 secured to the bucketlatch, said cable passing over the snatch-block, under the lower guide and over the upper guide of the member 14, and over the guides on the king-post, and between the guides on the post 8, the inner endof said rope being made fast to the post 4X, and means for turning the table, the king-post, and the boom with the bucket-beam laterally, for the purposes described.

ALPHONSE ZAGHARY BOUDREAUX. OLIVA FRANCIS ESCHET.

Witnesses IsAAc DAsPrr, RAFAEL CHAMPAGNE.

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